Suddenly, Yu Sheng had a new understanding of the concept of "peace" in the worldview of the spirit realm detectives and investigators in this borderland.
Such a strange and eerie place could actually be described as "peaceful"?
But after a moment's thought about the valley they had encountered earlier, he realized that Little Red Riding Hood's description did indeed hold some truth.
Though the "museum" was peculiar, it still followed a set of rules that allowed people to move around safely.
As long as they obeyed these rules, there wouldn't be any trouble.
In contrast, the valley harbored a being that would relentlessly hunt anyone to their death regardless of rule-following.
Dangers lurked everywhere in that foreign domain, and judging from the perspective of deadly threats, the latter was definitely more perilous.
The most crucial standard for differentiating between level-two and level-three dangers lay in whether the fatal factors within the environment could be avoided by adhering to rules.
In domains and entities classified as level-three or higher, the lethal nature became unconditional.
"What we are looking for is a statue called 'The Lamenter.' It’s a small statue, varying in size from fifteen to twenty-five centimeters," Little Red Riding Hood said, carefully observing the conditions in the corridor while she spoke in a low voice to Yu Sheng and Hu Li.
"The statue depicts a woman weeping, covering her face. It’s an abstract half-body sculpture with a hollowed-out back. Normally, this small statue would be placed in a standalone white hall, the only exhibit in that room, with no one to guard it. Therefore, as long as we can find this white hall, it shouldn’t be too difficult to take the statue away.”
Walking alongside Little Red Riding Hood, Yu Sheng curiously observed the so-called "museum" and casually asked, "I have a question. What does the Oddity Association want with this thing?"
"Who knows? Perhaps a collector paid a high price and commissioned the Oddity Association, which in turn outsourced the task to us. Or maybe the association itself wants to study it," she replied nonchalantly.
"The 'museum' is one of the few domains that can continuously 'produce' collectibles. Many of its products have high artistic value… I don’t understand art, but there are plenty of wealthy individuals who are passionate about the items collected here—those that are harmless. Moreover, it’s not just about art; sometimes there are ancient relics and mechanical exhibits of unknown origin. These items seem to be showcasing a fictional civilization to 'visitors,' making them of great research value, which is why some scholars collect them."
Yu Sheng nodded thoughtfully and then looked back in the direction they came from.
"What are you thinking about?" Little Red Riding Hood asked.
"I was pondering about the previous 'stage,' those invisible clapping spectators, and earlier the ticket booths,” Yu Sheng voiced his curiosity. “Those obviously belong to the 'anomalous phenomena,' so shouldn’t the entire 'theater' belong to the domain, and 'Museum Night' just be a part of the 'theater'?"
"You've hit on an important point," Little Red Riding Hood smiled at him.
"Indeed, the theater is the starting point for all the anomalies here. However, the 'theater' itself is not a complete domain; it’s merely an entrance. A domain needs to have its own complete space-time structure and closed-loop rules. The rules for activities in the 'museum' do not apply to the theater, so we can't mix the two together. Besides…"
She paused and turned her head.
"Let me tell you another piece of information: the 'entrance' connected to the theater actually leads to more than just the museum."
Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
"More than just the museum?"
"During sunset, the theater holds night performances, leading to the 'Museum Night.' But during the day, another ticket booth opens, and the stage leads to the 'Manor Mystery,' which is a far more dangerous place. Inside, there’s a 'suspect number zero' that actively hunts 'performers' and possesses tremendous strength," she explained.
"How does it compare to 'Hunger'?" Yu Sheng asked.
“... It definitely pales in comparison to the 'Hunger' influenced by the Obscure Angel, but that entity has very strange abilities. Just how dangerous it exactly is… I haven't encountered it myself."
"Oh."
As Yu Sheng walked alongside Little Red Riding Hood in the museum, he curiously absorbed various knowledge related to the foreign domain.
Erin quietly sat on his shoulder, unusually attentive and careful, hardly saying a word.
Meanwhile, Hu Li was cautiously observing their surroundings, her fluffy ears twitching towards sounds, attentively listening for any signs of movement in the museum.
"Master, there's a sound coming from that painting ahead…," she suddenly whispered, tugging at the hem of Yu Sheng's clothing.
Yu Sheng and Little Red Riding Hood immediately halted.
Faint breathing came from a nearby oil painting.
The artwork depicted a lion being pierced through the forehead by a sharp sword, and a gloved hand was visible at the edge of the canvas, as if just moments before it had thrust the sword forcefully.
The breaths emanated from the perspective of the thrower.
The moment Yu Sheng and the others took notice of the painting, the breathing became much clearer, almost as if a person was standing in the "out-of-frame" area, heavily gasping after battling the lion.
"Let's avoid this area and keep close to the wall," Little Red Riding Hood quickly lowered her voice, guiding Yu Sheng and the others away from the painting with the breathing sound.
The breaths gradually faded away.
They passed through the hall into a corridor lined with many doors.
Yu Sheng cautiously opened one of the doors.
"Red room," he retreated and said to Little Red Riding Hood.
"Let's skip this one and move to the next door."
Nodding, Yu Sheng stepped forward a few more meters and opened another door.
On the other side was a completely empty hall, brightly lit in light blue.
Near the entrance stood a column with a plaque stating the information about an exhibit:
"My Friends and My Endless Wealth," Creator: Fang Wen.
Below the plaque, there was an evaluation: This is a piece that evokes sorrow, filled with the creator's lifelong thoughts and insights.
Yu Sheng stared at the plaque for a moment, dumbfounded, then turned to Little Red Riding Hood. "…This museum has a sense of humor?"
"The humor comes from those consumed by the museum. Their 'final works' sometimes carry an absurd and self-mocking quality. Yet, no one knows the state in which they left these works, nor do they know whether they truly created these 'pieces' rationally," Little Red Riding Hood explained, shaking her head.
"After all, the museum itself does not think. It mindlessly and grotesquely mimics human-managed facilities and operates under its own set of rules."
She looked ahead at the exit across the air-exhibit hall.
"We should pass through here. Many of the exhibit halls and corridors in the museum are repetitive and generated randomly after entering. There’s no need to memorize any routes, but the museum's range is limited. As long as we continuously move to the next area according to the rules, unless we are exceptionally unlucky, we will eventually reach the exhibition room containing 'The Lamenter.'"
Yu Sheng nodded and walked forward with Hu Li.
Just as he was about to cross the center of the hall, a sudden, rigid, and monotonous sound of footsteps echoed from the opposite corridor, halting him in his tracks.
The next moment, he caught sight of several swaying figures.
They were several plastic mannequins, dressed in security uniforms, with smooth faces and rigid, eerie features, shuffling in a comical manner across the hall from the corridor.
Hu Li's tail and ear fluff stood up instantly.
"It's the ‘guards’!" Little Red Riding Hood exclaimed in a low voice.
"How could they suddenly appear…"
But in the next second, she regained her composure, leaning closer to Yu Sheng and whispering, "Don't retreat, don't act suspiciously. Though the guards are aggressive entities, they follow rules. We haven’t violated the museum's 'management order' since entering, so they shouldn't harm us actively…"
Before she could finish, Yu Sheng's peripheral vision caught one of the plastic figures from the corridor suddenly raising its hand—making a whistling motion, and the next second, a shrill whistle echoed throughout the exhibition hall!
All the "guards" sprang into action, moving with speed and ferocity unimaginable to humans, charging at the crowd in the exhibition hall.
"Damn—" Yu Sheng exclaimed.
He swiftly darted aside, landing and kicking one of the plastic figures with a powerful strike, resulting in a loud crash.
The mannequin was kicked in half by him, but the immense recoil sent a sharp pain echoing through his own leg.
"This thing is unbelievably hard! It's like it's made of stone!" Yu Sheng couldn't help but shout as, almost simultaneously, numerous black strings emerged from the small figure on his shoulder, ensnaring another 'guard' charging out of the corridor, holding it firmly in mid-air.
Hu Li pounced fiercely, tearing the temporarily restrained "guard" apart with her bare hands, and then kicked the plastic head off with her tail.
However, the very next moment, the pieces of the shattered mannequin began shaking violently on the floor.
Like building blocks, the severed parts swiftly wriggled and reassembled back into a fully-formed 'guard,' once again lunging toward them.
More footsteps pounded from the corridor, and increasingly more swaying figures appeared in the corners of Yu Sheng's vision.
(End of Chapter)